Matlock season 2 was in the middle of filming when Lewis alleged that Del Rio sexually assaulted her on September 26, which led to a speedy investigation that resulted in the cast member's firing on October 2.
According to Us Weekly, Lewis posted an Instagram story that provided an update to her social media followers after Del Rio's firing. She said that her mother is with her at the moment, and the two of them are "moving forward in love and strength." She added that her mother's presence during this difficult time means she's in "good hands."
The actress thanked everyone who reached out to show their support and finished her message by saying the key takeaway from all of this is "strength."
Del Rio's wife Katherine posted her own Instagram Story to react to Lewis' allegation against her husband. She posted a photo of Lewis and called her husband's accuser the "most disturbing human being" she's ever met.
Leah Lewis: Mom is here, we’re moving forward in love and strength. I’m in good hands. Thank you to everybody for any kind of support and care. Truly, we’re moving forward in strength. Key word, strength. Please, let that be the take away.
Katherine Del Rio: This is the most disturbing human being I have ever met.
Both Matlock cast members turned off the commenting feature on their Instagram pages. However, Instagram users are still able to leave messages on Del Rio's posts. Even though she hasn't shared any posts since July, there are a handful of comments on her older posts questioning Del Rio's decision to lash out at Lewis.
Lewis and Katherine's Instagram Stories after Del Rio's firing have since expired or been deleted. After his firing, multiple people, including Matlock executive producer Eric Christian Olsen, escorted Del Rio off the premises. As of October 2, when Del Rio was fired, about half of Matlock season 2 had been filmed. Production continued after the actor was let go.
It doesn't appear that production will face any significant delays since the show has a hiatus already planned for the coming weeks, beginning October 13, with the cast and crew returning to the set after Thanksgiving.
Del Rio and Lewis shared many scenes on Matlock, which also stars Kathy Bates, Skye P. Marshall, and Jason Ritter. Their characters Billy Martinez and Sarah Franklin, who were first-year associates at Jacobson Moore, provided comedic relief on the show.
However, Del Rio's Matlock character will obviously have to be written out, though there is currently no official confirmation on the writers' plans in the wake of the actor's firing.
Matlock season 2 premieres Sunday, October 12 at 8:30 p.m. EDT on CBS.
